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London Institute of Contemporary Arts
21st  July 2009

Atlanta’s Manchester Orchestra are one of the biggest crossover bands I can think of, yet their music appeals only to a very specific audience. America says they’re indie, Britain is quick to shove them on the emo shelf. Both are right, and wrong.

The best/worst musical paradox imaginable – unfashionable dudes unafraid to produce affectionate songs, a style that doesn’t really fit on magazine covers, they look pretty miserable but turns out they’re having the time of their lives. Manchester Orchestra have inadvertently become what many trendy bands strive to be: innocently cool.

“We don’t buy into hype, the easiest way to sum us up is to say that we’re just very, very lame,” guitarist Robert McDowell explains to us backstage before their set. “That’s why I’ve been wearing the same white t-shirt for five months!”

Tonight they play the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), which normally, as cultural bods will be well aware, hosts literary events, arthouse cinema and is a swanky place to dine. The number of confused youngsters that piled into the building startled clueless staff, and it seemed that no-one really knew what was going on where. Passing through a room full of suits drinking wine and talking politics, the venue was found and the barricades were lined in time for support act (well – usually an act, but tonight he performs alone) Kevin Devine.

Kevin has been a friend and touring partner of Manchester Orchestra since they were introduced a few years ago. Being huge admirers of Kevin’s individual style, the Manchester Orchestra boys were delighted when he signed a deal with their homemade record label Favourite Gentlemen in Atlanta: “It means we get to hang out with people we love and see them play incredible music, and support them in a way we couldn’t before,” says Robert. “Kevin is one of my favourite musicians – he’s overlooked in the UK I think but I’m glad people are finally coming out to see him.”

Favourite Gentlemen was set up by the band as a portal to bring their musicians community back home in Atlanta together, to support one another and work creatively with different, admired artists. “I’d love to be able to buy a large studio in Atlanta for all of us to play in,” gushes Robert with a huge smile. “Somewhere for us all to go and make music and bring producers to.. somewhere we can keep our gear. Yeah, that’s what I’d do if I had lots of money. Kinda selfish isn’t it?” He laughs.

Back at the show, Kevin plays an OK set. His mellow style is over-amplified when he’s alone on stage with an acoustic and at times it is a little gratingly morose, but, as if realising this, he’ll often switch it up with a more up-tempo track that’ll get the crowd going.

Andy Hull: "Who's got a beard bigger than mine? Come on, show yourself!" Credit: Andy Barron

Fans are eager to see Manchester Orchestra, but those we’ve spoken to are also dreading it a little. They are worried that a lot of new material will be played (on the band’s last visit a couple of months ago the setlist completely ignored the first album) as they haven’t yet listened to much of the second record, Mean Everything To Nothing. Mainly because there’s so much confusion in the UK as to when it is or was released and where people can find it. The press have not just been slow picking these guys up, they’ve been ignorant.

Robert: “I get that NME decides the next hot thing and we’ve never really been a part of that. It’s not that there’s bad press..I mean, with radio, there’s hardly any radio airplay. And that’s a huge thing. But you know, hopefully this means we won’t burn out so fast. Maybe if NME start to pick us up after however long they took to pick up Pavement… hopefully we won’t be ready [to stop] by then.”

Robert goes on to admit that when he first listened to his band’s new album he didn’t think this would be the right kind of crossover success people might’ve expected. “There are these records, like Pavement, the first time I listened to that I just didn’t really get it so I went back to the beginning and listened again and by the third time I grasped what they were going for. To me this feels a bit like a record you might not get the first time around.”

It’s easy to get frustrated when you’re working hard to make something a success that people just flat out refuse to listen to. Who is anyone to say that they don’t have time, when tens of people have dedicated months of their lives to producing and delivering the music before you? But Robert and his bandmates aren’t bothered, they know they’ve produced a fantastic album and we know that once people tune into them they won’t be able to get enough. It’s just a matter of time.

The band’s set tonight dispels any fear that it would be comprised solely of new material, though there is a strange ode, an acoustic skit, to 50 Cent at the beginning. Proving the group have a sarcastic, fun nature, vocalist Andy Hull sings “50 Cent you’re my favourite rapper in the whole world…So don’t get bummed out / ’cause even if your raps don’t sell out / you’ve still got, like, half a billion fucking dollars.”

Manchester Orchestra – Ode to 50 Cent

The crowd laugh throughout and the song lifts spirits, so when the band launch into a couple of relatively unknown new tracks it’s not all doom and gloom. Besides, their third (or fourth, if you count the 50 cent song) live track is a oldie and the fivesome launch into it with such aggressive energy that the crowd go crazy.

Robert has an explanation for that seemingly newfound angry vibe. “When we were touring with the first record we were opening up for bands that didn’t really care about us and so we learned to play the songs with more aggression and more abrasively because we didn’t want to lose interest, it was like we were competing [for an audience that wasn't really ours].”

He says the build of energy behind their live performances also played into the recording of Mean Everything To Nothing. “When it came to writing the new record we were in a cycle of just playing louder, faster and more intently. It ended up being a different feel.”

Other highlights of the set include a rousing ‘Where Have You Been?’, ‘Now That You’re Home’ and the strongest song and my personal favourite from the new record ‘I’ve Got Friends’.

I have seen Manchester Orchestra four times now, once during the early stages of promoting the first album, twice near the end of the touring cycle for it and then tonight. I can honestly say I have never seen them play with such ferocity before. It would be wrong to say it’s angry because there is no negative vibe. But as keyboardist Chris Freeman divides his attention between the keys and his second set of drums and Hull screams several decibels louder than any man can, this is harder, better, louder, faster than we’ve ever witnessed and there seems to be an air of frustration about it. But maybe that’s just me, because as soon as the songs end Andy’s ready with a joke, to confess he messed up the last chord; he comperes the night, which he’s never done in my presence before. Perhaps they are a happier band than they once were – perhaps playing to a crowd of 700 in an arts venue in London is enough for them. But even if it is, it shouldn’t be. They’re much, much better than this.

When all is said and done, Robert McDowell is very clued-up about the whole thing. He doesn’t buy into style, trends, fame or money, he simply says: ”Our ultimate goal was to make the record we had in our heads, to make the best record we possibly could. We wanted to make the best sounding record with the songs we brought in and I think that, when it comes down to it, we’re all content.”

Manchester Orchestra recently recorded a live session as part of Myspace Transmissions, which is available for free download here www.myspace.com/transmissions